Veritas | Meditative Adventure |Pluto Ep4: Dark Of The Storm

Welcome to Veritas… a meditative adventure like no other!

First and foremost, what does it even mean? Veritas is Latin for “truth”.
The question is, of course, which truth? Well, hopefully your truth.

In this episode, your choice has been made. Choose this episode if you face your demons in the dark of the storm. Choose Ep 5 if you embraced the light within.

Transcript

So,

How we're going to begin is you're going to sit comfortably,

However that means to you.

It could be legs crossed,

Could be sitting in a chair,

Whatever it is,

Sit somewhere comfortably that you feel relaxed and comfortable and you're going to close your eyes and you're going to take three deep breaths.

Deep breath in,

Count to four,

Deep breath out,

Count to four.

And each time you exhale,

You're going to try and relax your body a little bit further.

So you're going to inhale,

Pause,

Exhale,

Pause.

So as you're doing this and you're relaxing,

It's in those pauses between breaths where we're going to go.

That is where your creativity meets your imagination,

Meets your subconscious.

So let's see what awaits you in the spaces between breaths.

Breathe,

Remember your breath.

Right now it is calm and deep.

It is what it needs to be to access memory,

To imagine another world.

Breathe deeply and let go of your reality.

Exhale slowly and purposefully and like a key turning a lock,

Slip beneath the surface of another world.

The crystal pyramid calls to you,

But you know in your heart you're not ready.

The storm it is then.

Turning,

You slowly regard the storm.

A giant head made of the dark violence of storm clouds gazes back at you.

If anything,

There is a quietness to the air and part of you half expects the tumbleweed to blow by.

And then you move.

Now your steps are surefooted and fast and they carry you with the grace and precision of a refined warrior.

At the same time,

The storm winds grow stronger and a giant fist made of clouds grabs for you.

Here,

At the edge of the solar system,

The war for your soul begins.

You slam into the giant fist as it closes around you and lightning explodes from within.

The storm roars and pulls you inwards and the face disappears within and then so does the fist with you inside it.

Inside the storm your world is chaos.

Wind pulls at you from all directions,

Causing your body to flail and spin wildly while flashes of light disorient and overwhelm you.

A moment ago you were so sure,

So confident.

But there is not time for second guessing,

Only reaction.

Either you are ready or you are not.

Your soul burns with light and you can feel the power within you crackling with anticipation,

Desperately wanting to get out.

Yet a part of you knows that power unchanneled will not be without a price.

Yet desperation drives you as the storm ravages your body.

So many emotions flow within you it is difficult to identify even a single one as they twist and churn so rapidly.

Slowly,

It dawns on you that the storm itself is fueling your emotions,

And rather than flowing through you they are catching and swirling like eddy currents in a river and slowly building in strength.

Much like the stars reflecting the ice,

Your internal storm begins to reflect the external.

It is making you unto itself,

Yet at the core of it you feel the touch of the creature still running through your veins and that memory is enough to give you a moment of clarity.

You are not chaos,

You are hope.

With that realization your mind calms and you release the power.

The effect is striking and anyone observing from the outside world would witness a momentary dissipation of cloud and darkness at the center of the storm,

And that momentarily clear sky a bright kaleidoscope of color bursts forth,

And at the center the silhouette of not a man or a woman but an animal spirit in all its glory.

Internally it feels like a blocked pipe has opened and all those emotions come pouring out now free to flow through you.

A fascinating shift in perspective occurs as you observe this.

Happiness,

Sadness,

Anger,

Love,

They all look the same,

None of them good nor bad,

They just are,

And you realize in that moment that they are simply the universe trying to express itself through you,

All this time it was up to you whether they served you or simply passed through.

And that is when you find yourself at the center of the storm,

Or at least a center.

A spherical bubble seems to have been created and you are standing on a cloud.

It is disconcerting.

Your brain is convinced you should fall through and yet your feet feel solid ground.

Cautiously you step forward,

Testing your footing each time.

Lightning crackles in the distance but the thunder never follows.

It would seem that you were sheltered in this space from more than just wind.

Ahead of you a dark shape begins to coalesce,

Its form becoming more and more clear each flash of lightning,

Until a figure emerges from the dark clouds into your bubble.

It is you.

At least,

A version of you.

This you is dressed in a black suit with a black shirt and a black tie.

Even their pupils are devoid of color and with a start you realize that the flashes of lightning flash in their eyes as well.

It seems you have met the storm.

The two of you regard each other silently,

A strange thing watching yourself without a mirror.

Finally you ask,

Who are you?

Your darker self answers,

You know who I am.

And then with a casual wag of their finger,

You ask the wrong question.

There is a blur of movement,

And then the dark you is standing right in front of you and in the same motion they grab your collar and fling you into the storm.

Once again the wind tears at you,

Yet this time you are aware of the presence at the heart of it,

So when you land in another bubble you aren't really surprised.

Still,

Your momentum carries you and you land sprawling.

These clouds are not soft.

Dark you descends from above like a dark god.

But this time when they come for you,

You are ready.

Like a cornered viper you spring forward when they grab for you and strike them in the chest.

This time sending them sailing into the storm.

With a cry you leap after them.

In the storm it is dark and chaotic but the lightning flashes illuminate your way.

You can see dark you gather themselves,

Floating now in mid-air,

Lightning crackling in their eyes.

Even here you can sense their sinister smile.

This time however,

When the next lightning bolt flashes they blur and move with the light.

At first you blink,

Wondering if your eyes deceived you,

But sure enough,

Your dark doppelganger is riding the lightning through the storm.

Each flash their form blurs and moves along a lightning branch and reappears at the end of it.

On instinct you draw breath and exhale slowly,

Closing your eyes for a moment.

You forget the swirling chaos of the storm and simply extend your senses.

Immediately the emotions fill your being but it's okay,

You let them pass through.

There,

A surge building,

This one made up of anger and frustration and despair within you.

As within,

So without.

You reach for it with your mind and this time when it bursts and a bolt of lightning flashes you move with it.

For a moment you feel nauseous as you lose your sense of self before rematerializing in a new place.

You've done it,

But your lapse in focus costs you and dark you grabs you.

End over end you grapple with them as you sail through the storm.

Again and again you strike each other,

Each one matching the other for strength and tenacity.

Finally with simultaneous blows you fly apart.

But this is only a momentary relapse and dark you is off riding the lightning again.

This time you are ready,

This time you give chase.

Somewhere under a starry sky a man with wide eyes watches a zigzagging light from beyond the storm,

His white hair blowing in the wind.

He is still and never wavers,

Even for a moment.

Meanwhile,

The chase is ongoing until at last dark you hesitates a moment too long and you catch them.

In a moment of finality between both of you a collision of wills slams together and there's a bright light and then darkness.

When you wake again you are inside a bubble,

Your body hurts.

Tentatively you rub your hand along your ribs,

Likely more than one is broken.

This fight has cost you dearly.

Looking around you notice that this bubble is larger and the air is charged with static,

Leading you to suspect that this is indeed the eye of the storm.

Dark you lays motionless smoke rising from their body.

With a groan you dray yourself over to them and roll them over.

Their eyes are open and staring at you yet they make no move.

Large parts of their upper body are charred and blackened.

But then,

It is there,

Looking into their eyes,

You truly see.

Not from your point of view,

But from theirs.

You see them chase you across the ice.

You see them trying to grab you before you fall through,

Not destroy you.

You see them watch you rush toward them then try to grab hold of you.

You see them create a safe bubble and gently lower you within.

You see them grab you and fling you not into the storm but towards the eye where it is safer.

You see them desperately trying to calm you and force you to a safe place.

You see them lead you here.

And then finally you see them absorb the blast of your strike as they shelter you with their own body and finally bring you here,

To safety.

It is then that you ask the right question.

Not who are you,

But why are you?

This version of you was created to protect you.

And it did so the only way it knew how.

It built walls around you,

But in doing so it trapped in so many strong emotions that they could not flow through.

So instead they churned and turned in on themselves and festered.

It is only here in the heart of the storm that you grow enough to say the words that will set you free.

Thank you,

You whisper.

Thank you for keeping me safe.

But I'm okay.

I'll take it from here.

A moment of understanding passes between you.

And so,

With an exhale to top all other exhales,

They sigh and let you go.

You find yourself staring into the star you're reflecting on the ice once again.

It is quiet.

You look up to see the feet of a quiet figure.

His hair blows in the wind and his long moustache flows elegantly.

He extends his hand and after a brief hesitation you take it.

The man's eyes glow white.

Abruptly he pulls you close and whispers in your ear.

Then he is gone.

Ahead of you,

The crystal pyramid awaits.